It started as a passing thought. The kind of quiet nudge we all get from time to time.
A woman was cleaning up after dinner when an old friend suddenly crossed her mind. They hadn’t spoken in months. Life had gotten busy. Holidays were approaching. Still, something inside her whispered, Give her a call.
So she did.
When her friend picked up, the sound of her voice was thin, fragile. And as the conversation unfolded, the truth spilled out: she had been struggling deeply. The loneliness of the season, the darkness of shorter days, and the weight of unspoken worries had pulled her into a place she didn’t know how to climb out of. She admitted she had been thinking a lot of dark thoughts.
“I don’t know why,” the woman said softly, “but it means everything that you called today.”
That call didn’t fix everything. But it connected her to someone. And connection is often what keeps people tethered when life feels unbearable.
Michelle Grigsby-Hackett, Santé’s CEO, sees these moments as sacred. Because ordinary people listening to those internal nudges may very well save a life. “The holidays can be a time of joy,” she reminds us, “but they can also be a time of loneliness. This is when people need support the most.”
And that is why Santé exists.
They show up as an organization that sees people as people, and not another number.
Santé shows up in their peer-run Wellness & Recovery Centers, where individuals with lived experience help others feel seen and understood.
They show up through 988, where counselors answer calls every hour of every day, even during the holidays.
And they show up in mobile crisis teams, outpatient programs, day programs, and community partnerships, offering care long after the crisis moment ends.
Sometimes a phone call is simply a quick way to catch up with an old friend. Other times, we are left wondering if a phone call is all it would have taken to save a life.
This year, the Fitzgerald family donated 988-themed cupcakes for Santé’s 988 Day celebration. This was a gesture filled with grief, love, and hope. You see, their son, Kyle Fitzgerald Causey, died by suicide on his 19th birthday in 2013. His father, Steve, passed just eight months later.
Kyle’s mother, Kristi Fitzgerald said it best:
“Maybe if we had 988 then, Kyle and Steve would still be here. While we’ll never know, I do know this amazing organization is filled with everyday heroes… caring and compassionate people who make sure no family has to go through what mine has been through.”
Her words remind us why connection matters and why a phone call, a peer conversation, a counselor’s voice on the other end of a crisis line can be the difference between losing hope and holding on.
Santé’s mission remains rooted in the belief that simply showing up, and taking action, no matter how small, can truly save a life.